Retractable iron and ironing board assembly

ABSTRACT

Foldable system for ironing including a frame ( 12 ) mounted on a wall, fitted with an iron ( 18 ) and an ironing board, composed of a rear part with an ironing surface ( 16 ) and a front part ( 10 ) linked to the rear part that may be a decorating surface or a mirror, the board having a first position where the front part is visible in the wall mounted frame and the rear part is folded and a second position with the front part folded and where the rear part is visible in the frame. The rear part includes a first set of means for motion and rotation suited to move the board from the first position to the second position and vice-versa, and a second set of motion and rotation means to move the board in the second position from the vertical position within the frame to the horizontal position so that a user may use the ironing surface.

The present invention covers the foldable items installed in apartmentsor hotels and deals more specifically with a foldable system with boardand iron.

The iron and ironing board associated with the system are among theitems that are mandatory in a household and that one frequently uses.However, even with the improvements provided by the use of steam,ironing is still painful due to the setting to work of the item. It istiring to take the board out of a cabinet which is often messy, and thento install it. Then, one has to look for the iron, to plug it on thepower supply and when the job is over, one has to go through all thesame steps in reverse order.

Some products that have been recently put on the market include acupboard with a board inside. The drawback is that they are bulky, donot look good and they are not user friendly. In addition, the door ofsuch a cupboard remains open when the item is operated and this isdisturbing for the user during ironing.

Hence the aim of the invention is to provide a system composed of anironing board and an iron that can be easily folded on a wall and thatlooks like a mirror or a painting and that can also be quickly unfoldedin order to be available and operated immediately.

The purpose of the invention is therefore a foldable ironing system thatincludes a wall mounted frame fitted with an ironing board. The systemis composed of a rear part with a surface for ironing and a front partlinked to the rear part that is a decorating surface or a mirror. Thesystem may take a first position with a visible front part on the wallmounted frame and the rear part is folded and a second position with thefolded front part and the rear part is made visible in the frame. Therear part includes a first set of means for the motion and rotationsuited to move from the first position to the second position and viceversa, and a second set of means of motion and rotation to move theironing board from the vertical position within the frame to thehorizontal position so that a user can use the ironing surface.

The aim, purpose and characteristics of the invention will appear moreclearly in the following description with reference to the followingdrawings:

FIG. 1 represents the board and ironing system when folded that showsthe decorating surface;

FIG. 2 represents the system according to the invention where theironing board and the iron are visible while the decorating surface isfolded;

FIGS. 3A and 3B represent cross-sections of the cart that makes possiblethe motion and rotation of the board and iron set;

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D represent the different steps for the motion androtation to make the board and iron set visible;

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C represent the different steps of motion and rotationto turn the ironing surface in the position for operation;

FIG. 6 represents a view of the iron ready to be used; and

FIG. 7 represents a cross-section of the handle of the iron in theposition for use and in the folded position.

With reference to FIG. 1, the ironing system includes, in a firstposition, a front part 10 which is a decorating surface such as apainting or a mirror inside the frame 12 mounted on the wall.

In a second position shown on FIG. 2 and reached mainly by motion androtation as explained later, the rear part linked to the front part ismade visible. This rear part includes a frame 14, the ironing surfaceper say, a foldable iron 18 and a support 20 with a fork shape supportlocated below the ironing surface and that acts as a support when theironing surface 16 is set horizontal as explained later.

To move the ironing system from the position shown on FIG. 1 to theposition shown on FIG. 2, i.e. from a position where a painting or amirror is visible within frame 12 to the position where the ironingsurface 16 is made visible, the ironing system includes a cart in itslower part shown on two perpendicular cross-sections on FIGS. 3A and 3B.

The frame 14 of the ironing board is mounted on the cart 21 which ismobile thanks to 2 couples of wheels 22 and 24. The wheels of each pairof wheels are located on each side of the rail guide 26. The cart 21 issupported by wheels 22 and 24 and includes a pivot 28 with a cylindricaland circular shape on which is mounted the frame 14 of the ironingsurface.

When the user wants to use the ironing system, he opens the system bypulling towards him the front part 10, to the right if the cart islocated on the left, or to the left if the cart is located on the right.While rotating the front part, the user pulls this part to the right orto the left according to the position of the cart so that the cart movesfrom left to right (or from right to left) on its wheels 22, 24 that areguided by the guiding rail 26 which extends along all the width of theframe 12. It has to be noted that the top of the ironing surface 16includes a vertical shaft that remains inside a groove located in thetop horizontal part of frame 12 during the motion of the cart.

FIGS. 4A to 4D represent through an horizontal cross-section thedifferent steps for motion and rotation of the ironing surface when thesystem opens to the left and rotates to the right. On FIG. 4A, thesystem is folded and the front part 10 (painting or mirror) is visiblein the frame 12 mounted on the wall through screws 30 and 31. The rearpart, mainly composed of the ironing surface 16 and of the support 20,is folded behind the front part 10. It has to be noted that the pivot 28of cart 21 appears in the right part of frame 14.

In a first phase shown on FIG. 4B, the ironing board is open and hencerotates around shaft 28 while its right side moves from right to leftthanks to the motion of the cart 21 with the wheels remaining guided bythe guiding rail 26.

In a second phase shown on FIG. 4C, the ironing surface 16 has beenrotated by almost 180° around shaft 28 and the cart has been moved fromright to left on almost all the width of frame 12.

At the end of the motion, as illustrated on FIG. 4D, the cart hasreached the left end and the ironing board is in its final positionwhere the ironing board 16 is visible within frame 12 and the front partthat includes the painting or the mirror is folded.

When the ironing surface is made visible through motion and rotation, itis set horizontal following different steps shown on FIGS. 5A, 5B and5C. This operation consists in sliding the board thanks to 2 pinslocated on each side of the top end that slide in 2 grooves 36 locatedrespectively on the inner faces of both sides of frame 14.

When the top end of the ironing surface 16 is exposed to a strain fromtop to bottom in order to slide both pins 34 in the two grooves 36, theironing surface tends to rotate around these two pins as shown on FIG.5A since it is maintained by the support 20. It has to be noted thatsupport 20 has a fork shape with 2 branches with tips 38 and 39supported by the base of the frame 14 as shown on FIG. 2. When theironing surface rotates as illustrated on FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, thesupport of ironing board with tip 40 is maintained while sliding ingroove 42 located under the ironing surface 16, is rotated around 2shafts linked to frame 16 located at the extremity of both branches 38and 39 of the ironing board support.

After rotation of the ironing surface as shown on FIGS. 5A and 5B, theironing surface is in horizontal position which is its final position asillustrated on FIG. 5C. When in this position, the surface 16 remains inthis position thanks to the two pins 34, under the action of twosprings, fit into two holes located in the grooves 36 of frame 14 whilethe extremity 40 fits into in a hole located at the tip of the groove42. It has to be noted that the height of the ironing surface may beadjusted by the fitting of several holes such as 43 and 44 locatedhigher in the frame while the extremity 40 remains in the holes (notshown) closer to the wall in groove 42.

The iron 18 represented in the position of operation on FIG. 6, isfitting, in the folded position, in a hole at the tip of the ironingsurface, close to the wall, as shown on FIG. 2. In this folded position,the (hollow) handle 50 is in the folded position next to base 52.

When the user wants to use the iron 18, the user must first positionhandle 50 in the operation position as shown on FIG. 7. The handle inthe standby position, as shown with dotted lines on the figure, islocked in the horizontal position. This lock is achieved with a lockingpress-button 54 rotating around a shaft and with extremity 56 locked bya cantilever fitted with a first locking crank 59 to lock the handle inthe operation position and a second locking crank 60 to lock the handlein the still position. The press-button is maintained in the lockingposition thanks to a spring 62. To unlock, the user only has to press onbutton 54 in order to free the tip 56 of the locking crank.

In the lower part of handle 50, a locking hook 64 is kept separate fromthe cam by a hole 66. When the user sets the handle in the stillposition (dotted lines) after pressing the press-button 54 to free thetip 56 from the lock 59, the handle is rotated by 90° around the shaft68. During this rotation, a fixed pin like a piece of a circle 70 fitsinto hole 66 as shown on FIG. 7. After releasing the press-button 54,its tip 56 fits into the locking crank 60. Therefore the iron ismaintained still through the pin 70 locked in the hole and its handle islocked in the horizontal position.

1-9. (canceled)
 10. Foldable ironing system including a frame mounted onthe wall fitted with an ironing board and an iron, the system comprisinga rear part including an ironing surface and a front part linked to therear part including a decorating surface or a mirror, said system havinga first position where said front part is visible in said frame mountedon the wall and the rear part is folded and a second position with thefront part is folded and said rear part is made visible in said frame,said rear part including a first set of means for motion and rotationadapted to shift the system from the first position to the secondposition and vice-versa, and a second set of motion and rotation meansto shift the system in the second position from a vertical positionwithin the frame to a horizontal position so that a user could use theiron, wherein said first motion and rotation means include a cartsupporting a frame around said rear part and specifically said ironingsurface, said cart being moved sideways from one side to the other ofsaid frame by wheels rolling on each side of a guiding rail in order tomove said ironing system from the first position to the second positionand vice-versa.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein said cart includes apivot supporting said frame in order to rotate said board around saidpivot while said cart is moved from one side to the other of the frame.12. The system of claim 10, wherein said second set of motion androtation means comprise two pins located on each side of the topextremity of said ironing surface, of two grooves located respectivelyon the inner faces of said frame in which are sliding the pins and alocking system of said ironing surface so that, when said pins slidedown in said grooves, said ironing surface in the second position movesfrom the vertical position to the horizontal position.
 13. The system ofclaim 12, wherein said positioning means is a support with a fork shapewith 2 branches where tips are in contact with the base of the frame andwhere the tip is maintained while sliding in the groove located belowthe ironing surface.
 14. The system of claim 13, where the holes locatedin said grooves of the frame in which fit said pins activated by springsallow said ironing surface in the horizontal position to stand stillwhile the tip of said support slides into a hole located at the tip ofsaid groove of said ironing surface.
 15. The system of claim 14, whereinsaid groove include several holes and the groove of said ironing surfaceincludes several holes in order to adjust the height of said ironingsurface while in a horizontal position.
 16. The system of claim 10,wherein an iron is in the folded position in a cavity at the extremityclose to the wall of said ironing surface.
 17. The system of claim 16,wherein said iron includes a handle and a base, said handle being foldedagainst said base when the iron is folded.
 18. The system of claim 17,wherein said handle includes a locking press-button maintained in alocking position by a spring, said press-button rotating around a shaftand with its tip being locked by a cam with a first locking crank fittedto lock the handle in the operation position and a second locking crankfitted to lock the handle when folded on the base when the iron isfolded.